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Monday, February 6, 2012

The Current 3 Games on My Android Phone

I haven't picked up my handhelds in, oh, several months now. Maybe it's the many craft projects I've wanted to make or new recipes to cook. Or maybe it's the fact that I got my first ever smartphone at the beginning of the year. And as every owner of a new smartphone knows, the first thing you do is root your phone and get rid of all that bloatware. (Ok, that's what I chose to do, with much trepidation and then elation when it was successfully completed without destroying my new toy.)

What most people do is immediately download apps for on their smartphone. Since I use this phone for work, the first programs I installed were all related to productivity. But eventually, I got adventurous enough to sample some of the many games out there on the Android Market. But I'm incredibly picky when it comes to entertainment. All the top favs - Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, and even Plants vs. Zombies - are way too repetitive for me. But I did eventually settle on 3 keepers that have lasted me a little while:

I know, I know... how girly of me, right? Seriously though, it's just like Restaurant City from Facebook, which I quickly tired of as well. But I have to admit that they balanced the game just right. Developer TeamLava has created many variants, but Bakery Story lets you make money too easily and Zoo Story has a high bar to entry in terms of frequency of user interaction. With Fashion Story, it quickly reached a point where I'm not required to constantly check it, and I find myself always on the verge of running out of money or clothes in my shop or ordering slots, which keeps my interest longer than usual. However, even after 2-3 weeks, my attention is already starting to wane...

Despite the name, this is not another "farm simulation" game from the TeamLava series. Think "Grand Theft Auto" for dummies (all the controls have been simplified). Your brother went to work at a port and then stopped contacting your family, so you've gone to find him - which means getting involved with some rather unsavory characters. Gameplay involves picking up quests, picking fights, picking pockets, and other activities to get you closer to finding your brother. Play time is limited to the amount of energy your character has, keeping you from just blasting through the game, which also keeps your interest level high. I have high hopes for this game.

Update: I just reached the "end" of the game! I haven't found the brother yet, but this message popped up saying "Stay tuned for more updates coming soon..." Boo... I guess I'll spend my free time beating up more people and upping my Fighter level.

I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to pick up this game that famously got Alec Baldwin kicked off his flight, but online games that interact with other people always have great longevity. If you haven't heard of it, it's basically Scrabble for your phone, but with the interesting new rule where you don't lose your turn if you try out a word that doesn't exist. It's definitely elevated my awareness of 2-letter words like "ae" and "xi." Can't wait till Scramble with Friends comes out for Android; I love me a good round of Boogle!

Question:

Do you have any recommendations for fun and interesting Android games? (I've seen several games on the iPhone that I'd love to try, but I'll just have to hope they get ported over eventually.)